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In a month, Shreveport voters will choose between incumbent Ollie Tyler and challenger Adrian Perkins to serve as mayor.

A vote for Tyler would give the city’s first black, female mayor a second term and keep Louisiana’s three largest cities under the control of female leaders.

A vote for Perkins would give the city one of its youngest mayors ever. The 33-year-old Army veteran and recent Harvard Law graduate garnered 29 percent of Tuesday’s vote — outpacing Tyler by 5 percentage points.

Both Democrats come into the runoff with advantages and disadvantages that could lead either to the city’s highest office — or not.

The candidates who were defeated in Tuesday's election could play a role in the runoff provided their supporters break in favor of one or the other.

The city’s Republican voters are looking for a new home as both Jim Taliaferro and Lee O. Savage were shut out from the runoff. If voters had coalesced behind one of those men, then a Republican would be facing Perkins and the incumbent Tyler would have been out of office at term's end.

What will the tone of the campaign be?

Before the general election, Perkins and Tyler mostly avoided slinging mud at other candidates. Perkins ran a sunny campaign, while Tyler invoked her day job as mayor to stay out of the fray.

Thus far, Perkins has emphasized that he believes that Shreveport needs a change from Tyler.

"I love this city," he told The Times last month. "I owe this city, and I hate to see the direction it's going in. I know that we need some changes right now. We need some change in this city."

Tuesday night, Perkins thanked the other mayoral candidates who challenged Tyler because, he said, “they all love Shreveport and believed it needed a change.”

“If tonight I was not your first choice, most of you still cast your vote for change, and that opportunity is still alive,” he said.

Tyler, however, began to target Perkins Tuesday night. She targeted her challenger's inexperience, his failure to vote in any election since registering in 2007 in Caddo Parish, and the short amount of time he has spent in Shreveport as an adult.

"I can tell you, you need experience," Tyler said. "It takes a lot to actually serve in this position."

She also noted that she has owned a home in Shreveport for 35 years.

"And we have a great voting record because you must have that kind of record to have a voice," she said.

LSU-Shreveport Political Science Professor Jeff Sadow and City Councilmen Oliver Jenkins, a Perkins supporter, and Michael Corbin said Perkins probably would not run a negative or ugly campaign.

"Perkins is the clear favorite. He doesn't have to do any negative campaigning," Sadow said.

Corbin and Jenkins both expressed doubts that Tyler would take a negative tone beyond her public criticisms Tuesday. Sadow said Tyler might have to go negative to win re-election.

"She's in fairly desperate straits here," Sadow said. "If that tone is going to change at all, It's going to be her that changes it. It's going to be negative."

What assets does each candidate bring to the final month?

Tyler brings to December's runoff nearly a full term of experience as Shreveport mayor and decades of service in local and state education. Voters know what to expect with another four years under Tyler, said Jenkins, Corbin, Sadow and local NAACP President Lloyd Thompson.

"She understands the slow speed at which it takes change to happen, and she has that time in the mayor's office which she could put to her advantage," Corbin said.

Perkins is a clean slate. He has no record to defend. He has support from several city councilmen and parish commissioners. He also appeals to young voters, said Jenkins, Corbin, Sadow and Thompson.

Perkins might also have crossover appeal to Republicans, said Jenkins, a Republican himself who has endorsed Perkins.

"People in all parties support veterans and quantifiable accomplishments," he said. "That breaks down a lot of party barriers, if you will. I think the lion's share of Republicans are looking for something different."

What liabilities does each candidate bring to the final month?

Tyler has spent a majority of the election cycle defending her term and listening as challengers criticized her over the city's well-documented water billing errors and crime-fighting efforts.

Taliaferro, a Republican who finished in third place, said on Wednesday that he believes residents have seen shortcomings in Tyler's administration. He said he doesn't know what Tyler can do in 30 days to change the minds of residents who voted Tuesday for someone other than her.

"The people have really kind of spoken, they were out in droves yesterday," Taliaferro said, noting the turnout of 48 percent. "When that many people get out and are excited or at least concerned about the way the city is going, to take the time to cast their vote, and the vote turns out to be Adrian leading the pack — then there is some real concern, and I don’t know if the mayor can overcome that at all."

Taliaferro, who finished fewer than 2,000 votes behind Tyler, said he doesn't believe the city can continue in the same direction for another four years.

"We have a stagnant economy, our customer service is not what it needs to be… that all falls under the current administrator, which is the current mayor," he said. "There’s a lot of things to be considered."

Perkins' blank slate can also be a weakness. Concerns about his inexperience could hurt him, Sadow, Jenkins and Corbin said.

Perkins has also refused to answer questions about a home he owns in Georgia or his failure to vote in elections. He has not voted in Caddo Parish since registering to vote in 2007, according to parish records.

"What does he actually do? What has he done since college? What brought him back here?" Corbin said. "He's going to have to be a little more forthcoming with some personal information."

Others are concerned that Perkins may use Shreveport as a stepping stone to more ambitious plans. Sadow and Jenkins say that's not a cause for concern. For Perkins to use Shreveport as a stepping stone, he would first have to succeed in Shreveport.

"At the same time, if he does a good job, who cares if he leaves in four or eight years?" Sadow said. "As long as you do a good job, I don't think that should bother people."

Will the defeated candidates be factors in the race in any way?

Three candidates who did not survive to the runoff garnered a combined 45 percent of Tuesday's votes — Steven Jackson, Taliaferro and Savage.

Jackson did not return calls seeking a comment on the runoff election.

Savage, a Republican candidate who finished fourth with 14 percent of the vote, said Wednesday that he was not ready to endorse either candidate. Savage said he hoped to have good conversations with both Perkins and Tyler to find out more clearly where each stands.

"There are concerns that I’ve got and reasons I ran for mayor that still are there," he said. "If I can’t get good clean answers from either, I really won’t be able to endorse either of them."

Taliaferro, who won 21 percent of the vote, also said he couldn't say whether he will endorse one of the candidates before the runoff.

"I think the numbers coming from my campaign, or Savage’s campaign, or Jackson’s campaign, everyone else’s campaign — we all campaigned because we weren’t happy with the current administration, and we believed things could be better and different, and they should," Taliaferro said Wednesday. "If you take all those numbers, and you kind of push them over to Adrian’s corner, the current mayor has a real issue."

Jenkins predicted that Taliaferro may endorse Perkins because both have previous military service — Taliaferro in the Air Force, Perkins in the Army.

"They may be in different parties, but their experiences and backgrounds aren't super different," Jenkins said. "(Perkins) would be flattered to have (Taliaferro's endorsement) but I don't think he needs him."